Sea Shepherd deploys crew to Banffshire

Sea Shepherd UK (SSUK) have deployed a seal defence crew to Gamrie Bay, Banffshire in the first phase of its 2015 campaign to prevent Scotland’s iconic seals from being killed illegally by coastal netting fishing operations, fish farms or indeed anyone else in Scotland.

Sea Shepherd UK’s deployment of a land and boat crew to Gamrie Bay marks only the start of a much larger and wider ranging campaign for 2015 following our success in during 2014.

In 2014 at Gardenstown they were joined early in the campaign by members of the Hunt SaboteursAssociation (HSA) who had a small team initially in the area on surveillance/intelligence gathering and who then sent a much larger team to provide support.

Sea Shepherds always try to recruit local volunteers and find supporters and with the recruiting of local volunteers from Aberdeenshire they were able to expand our 2014 Seal Defence Campaign to Montrose/Lunan Bay then to the Dunnet Bay area in the far north near Thurso where they were able to focus resources on coastal land and boat patrols for the duration of the 2014 wild salmon netting season.

SSUK’s deployment to the north coast and Orkney Islands was possible in part by the Hunt Saboteurs Association deploying teams in their own successful campaign to protect seals.

Patrols by land and sea in 2014 prevented any illegal shooting of seals and indeed any killing of seals where teams and cameras were watching.

Sea Shepherd’s 2015 Seal Defence Campaign in Scotland will be significantly larger than their campaign crew of last year already numbering over 60 volunteers joining at their own expense from around Scotland as well as travelling from England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, USA and Chile to help defend Scotland’s seals.

For the next five months crews will be operating from a number of mainland coastal locations and islands covering areas where seals are currently being shot illegally or allegedly legally under permit from Marine Scotland.

Sea Shepherd UK is offering a £5000 reward for information, photographic or video evidence which directly leads to the successful prosecution of any individuals or any companies for deliberately and illegally killing any marine mammal around the coastline of the United Kingdom. To submit info confidentially and securely email report@seashepherduk.org.